General Douglas MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito of Japan, dated 1945.

Japanese-American infantrymen of the 442nd Combat Team hike up a muddy French road to their new bivouac area, October 14, 1944.

L. Stuart Hirai, an independent historian of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, serves on the board of governors of the Go For Broke National Education Center.

L. Stuart Hirai

L. Stuart Hirai, an independent historian of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, serves on the board of governors of the Go For Broke National Education Center.

L. Stuart Hirai Archives | HISTORY

Home

HISTORY

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played vital roles in shaping the nation—from building the Transcontinental Railroad to advocating for labor law changes to fighting in multiple wars. They made these contributions while also facing persistent discrimination and violence throughout U.S. history.

Asian American & Pacific Islander History

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

L. Stuart Hirai

Stories

How the US and Japan Went From Enemies to Allies After WWII

How a Japanese American Regiment Rescued WWII’s ‘Lost Battalion’